Method of splitting stone.



Non 820,849.

J. F. GOPPS. METHOD OF SPLITTING STONE.

APPLICATION mum MAB-.17, 1906.

PATENTBD MAY15, 1906.

WASTE STONE W0 Wms' r5 :j

48 DIV/L460 FOR WE 0013 8400 As LIFTED w/ww wsoGl-',

Y ES UVVENTOR PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES FRANCIS (JOPPS, OF ALBERENE, VIRGINIA.

METHOD OF SPLITTING STONE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented May 15, 1906.

Original application filed January 11 1906, Serial No. 295,558. Dividedand this application filed March 17, 1906. Serial No. 306,564..

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES FRANcIs CoPPs, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Alberene, in the county of Albemarle and State ofVirginia, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Methods ofSplitting Stone, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in the splitting of stone; and itconsists in the method as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

This is a divisional application of in former application, Serial No.295,558, filed January 11., 1906.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View, partly broken away,illustrating the practice of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionon about line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail side view, and Fig. 4.-a detail top plan view, of one of the sectional wedges. Fig. 5 is a sideview illustrating the break formed in the practice of my invention. Fig.6 is a side view illustrating the break produced in the ordinary methodof splitting stone. Fig. 7 is a view illustrating the waste experiencedin quarrying stone in the ordinary manner, and Fig. 8 illustrates themanner in which waste is avoided by the practice of my invention.

Ordinarily in breaking stone with Wedges the wedges are arranged tooperate in the outer ends of the holes drilled in the body of rock, andin such case the stone usually splits with a downward course, asindicated at Ain Fig. 6, and there is much waste of rock as well as theinconvenience resulting from facing the stone oil level. By my inventionI form the drill-holes B nearly through the body C of stone to be split,the said body of stone usually being separated at its back D from themass of stone by a channel cut by any suitable means, and the inner endwalls B of the holes B forming a stop to limit the insertion of thewedge in the use of the invention.

In practice I prefer in splitting off a hori- Zontal slab, asillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, to arrange the wedges to operate at theopposite ends of the adjacent drillholes, so that one wedge will operatein the extreme inner end of its drill-hole and the wedge in the nextdrill-hole will be at the outer end of its drillhole, and so onthroughout the series, so that the splitting action is exerted at theopposite ends of the adjacent drill-holes, whereby I am able to get aneven lifting action on the slab which it is desired to split from thebody or rock and the line of division will be approximately horizontalthroughout. This is illustrated in Fig. 2, in which the lower wedgeoperates in the extreme inner end of its drillhole, the next upper wedgein the outer end of its drill-hole, the next wedge in the inner end ofits drill-hole, and so on throughout the series, so that as the stone issplit the splitting will be effected in approximately a straight plane.In securing this result it will be noticed I form a series of holeshaving generally the same direction longitudinally and arrangedapproximately in a common plane, the holes extending nearly through thebody of stone to be split and a splitting force being subsequentlyexerted in the direction in which it is desired to separate stone, suchsplitting force being exerted in the extreme inner or closed ends ofsome of said holes and in the extreme outer or open ends of someadjacent holes whereby to secure a splitting of the body of stone inapproximately a straight plane.

In Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6 I illustrate the splitting of the stone inapproximately a horizontal plane. Manifestly the same advantageousresults may be secured by my improvement in splitting stone inapproximately a vertical plane. The wedges E preferably include thetapered plug F, the tapered feathers G and a wire II forming a breakableconnection between the smaller ends of the plug F and the smaller endsof the feathers G, so the plug and feathers will be united forconvenience in applying the wedges and inserting the feathers to theextreme inner ends of the drill'holes, as shown in Fig. 2, and whichwire will be broken by the initial blow upon the plugs F in driving thesame to split the stone. This breakable connection not onlyfacilitatesthe insertion of thewedges as desired, but also provides for itsmanipulation to permit the turning of the feathers to secure theiroperation either vertically or horizontally, as may be desired in thepractical use of the invention.

In practice the feathers G may, combined with the plug, be circular,octagonal, or of other suitable shape in cross-section.

The wedges are not claimed herein but form the subject-matter of aseparate appli cation for patent, Serial No. 295,558, filed by meJanuary 11, 1906.

Having thus described my invention, what the stone, such splitting forcebeing exerted I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letin the extremeinner or closed ends of some of ters Patent, is the holes andin theextreme outer or open The herein-described method of splitting ends ofsome adjacent holes whereby to se- 15 r 5 stone, which consists informing a series of cure a splitting of the body of stone in apl0l6 llivlnfi; gene'ally the Same direction proximatelyastraight plane.

ongitu ina y an arrange in approximately a common plane, the holesextending JAMES FRANCIS GOPPS' nearly through the body of stone to besplit, Witnesses: 10 and subsequently exerting a splitting force in SOLKAUFMAN, the direction in which it is desired to separate G. F. COMPTON.

